Are Yorkie dogs good pets with babies and children?
 

Hi all !!

I think it depends on the dog and the household. My family runs in home daycares. My sister has 2 Chi's and I have a yorkie. Amelia is fantastic with kids, all ages. In fact some of the parents have tried to smuggle her out in their diaper bags. :)

She came into the house as a puppy exposed to kids so I think that had a lot to do with her disposition towards them. She has her own space away from them so she can get a break. But she loves them and they help me by tiring her out. So much energy.

Laci loves kids and babies, but I have a 13 year old daughter, so I have kids comming and going , my best friend has babies 1 and 2 Laci loves them , she steals the socks off the babies its kinda cute!! I usually have lots of company so laci is very well adjusted!!

I believe it depends on the household. If you expose them to children and babies when they are young...they probably won't have a problem. My yorkie loves children and babies. What you want to be careful with is how the children are going to be with the dogs. Kids don't realize how fragile yorkies can be, and they may not realize how rough they are being with the dogs...so just teach your children to be gentle with the dogs...and of course teach the dog to be gentle with the babies and children.

I think the problem is not that yorkies don't get along with young children, it's that young children can be a danger to yorkies, especially smaller yorkies.

I would advise you to think the decision over very carefully though. I've seen it happen numerous times - a couple gets a yorkie (having a desire for a little one to care for) a year or so later has a baby. And, the yorkie often is then, maybe not neglected but doesn't get enough attention. I see yorkies and other small dogs rehomed on Craigslist quite often, for this very reason, and I always just hate to see it.:(

Being dropped or stepped on are two dangers I can think of that can end in death.

I've seen the latter too. :(

I have to add something, I have a friend who got her yorkie from a lady who just had a baby, it was her first baby and well , she was overwhelmed, she could not do both!! A new baby requires constant attention and it is hard when your dog is used to being with you all the time and then you have to devote time to the baby.. she said taking the dog out for walks while her hubby was not home got to be impossible ( no fenced in yard)

I also want to add that my friend that does come over with her babies, although Laci is awesome with them, I am a nervous wreck till she leaves, I am just so afraid they will plop down on her or trip and land on her etc...

Having a new puppy 5 months old and being a mom of three skinkids, I honestly dont think I could give Laci the attention she deserves if I had a baby or tot running around ALL THE TIME....

I think that it all depends on the household and if you expose your yorkie or any type of dog to children.. I have a 6 month old yorkie and I have 2 nieces.. and my Leila plays and let's my nieces carry her around. They get along great. Its funny but Leila seems to enjoy it and actually looks for my nieces everytime they come...

It depends on the Yorkie. Sammy loves everyone, even kids, and she's only 6lbs but she's tough. A 7-month old neighbor was all over her last summer, pulling her hair and trying to hug her and she could hardly contain her excitement. It think our only problem with Sammy will be teaching her not to lick faces :)

Loki is a nervous dog and he takes a while to adjust to everything. But he does fine with familiar situations and he is very trainable. We had 5 people (family members) over last night and he bounced around like a puppy trying to say hi to everyone and then ran to his corner to chew his stick and observe all the action :) I can see him laying under a baby's crib watching out for his new "sibling" :)

But here's the deal - Loki is 4 and has had 2 years of obedience and Sammy is 3 and was raised with kids until she was a year old. So my suggestion is either to wait until your dog is well trained and out of the puppy stage (at least 2 years) before having children, or wait until your child is a little older (at least so you are not up all night with baby AND puppy) before getting a puppy. Do NOT get a puppy and then have a baby right away or the other way around if you enjoy your sanity. Housetraining a Yorkie is a full time job. You don't want to do babies and puppies together :)

Oh, and get a bigger Yorkie for sure. Sammy is 6 lbs and she's TINY - just because Yorkies come in 3, 4, 5 pound sizes does NOT mean 6 lbs is a big Yorkie! Don't go smaller than that. Loki is 12 pounds and he's a great size too.

I have 2 yorkie girls. Sadie is 4 yrs old and Lillie will be 3yrs old next month. I have had them since they were puppies. My daughter recently had a baby. Eva is 10 months old now. I have the baby at LEAST once a week. The girls (fur) are VERY interested in her...However...it's on THEIR terms. They will go over to her and lick her head (and face if I let them!) But, if she reaches out to touch them the jump back. When I hold the baby I will hold one of the dogs and let the baby pet them...They don't like this AT ALL!! Matter of fact Sadie has growled at her. On the other hand they are very protective of her. If she is playing with her toys on the floor they will lay on the blanket next to her but, just far enough away so she can't touch them. If the cat should walk by they will attack him. When she wakes up from her nap they will run to her crib and cry until I pick her up...Like I said.....they like her on THEIR terms..I would NEVER just them...they are (my babies) but, they are still an animal.

Great response...:thumbup::thumbup:

Welcome to YT :wavey:

I got Twinkle when my two daughters were (almost) 4 and 1 year old.....10 months later we added another yorkie puppy to the family. I had ground rules from the very beginning (the children must sit on the floor for the puppy to approach them, not follow the puppy around, NEVER pick them up, and to leave them alone when they are in their crates - that is THEIR space) and I've had no problems whatsoever......

I'm not saying it's easy though.....there needs to be CONSTANT adult supervision, because obviously my children are babies, just like the puppies are, and any accidents would be totally MY fault. But that's where common sense combined with responsible parenting/dog-ownership comes in.

I firmly believe that children benefit greatly from being raised alongside animals (and vice-versa), because it teaches respect and kindness.

I also have larger yorkies - Twinkle is 8lb (still a VERY small dog), and Wicket looks set to be about the same. I'm not saying that their larger size eliminates any possibilty of any accidents, but it does take away a tiny bit of the worry.

Good luck with your decision! xxx xxx

I have a lot of the same rules... No Stalking the dog, NO picking up the dog, if the dog wants to play with you fine but don't bother her if she is in her space napping.... when she was a puppy and would come in the room we had the hands and knees rule. everyone had to crawl like a puppy (to avoid accidentally falling or tripping over her). The kids have to be told and reminded on occasion that Millie is much smaller and only soft touches can be given. No rough housing.

I think that any type of dog you should be careful with when it comes to babies/little children. Fiona has been great with babies, toddlers, and little kids, she loves, them, she will just rub up on them and lick them!!!!! I really think it depends on how you teach your pet/ child how to approach them.

It depends on the circumstances and the kids involved
But no ... Yorkies aren't the best dogs for kids

They are usually small and not very sturdy .... rough play with kids can hurt them
Also they are ratters and look for quick movements from little things
This can elicit an attack response in them that is instinctual

I don't like to say that a breed of dog isn't good with kids but as long as you know the downside....

I think it can work
 

I have had Lucy for 2 yrs before I had my two girls. Lucy was my first baby( furbaby) and is still one of my kids. She is an awesome dog! You must remember that your furrbaby is also one of your children so that means constant supervision, care, respect and teaching of others how to get along. Most importantly teach your new child how to respect animals and things should work out just fine. Generally Yorkies do make good pets for children because they general disposition is to like people/kids. ( unlike other breeds) It is how you expose them when they are puppies so they are not afraid of kids/people etc. Basically socializing them in a safe /secure way with good experiences. Then you must be a totally responsible and careful about how you teach your children to respect your furrbaby. Basically trouble can happen if you don't treat your furrbaby like one of your kids. I have never had any problems with my two little girls and my Lucy. We even had a rescue yorkie male who was terrified of men but perfectly ok with my two girls. They learn how to love/treat/ compassion/ respect for furrbabies. Also I would never recommend getting a tiny yorkie though. My Lucy is about 7-9lbs. I think it really is sooo sad when people get rid of their yorkies/pets because they have a human baby..but then again it maybe is the best choice if the situation is not good for their once loved furrbaby too. Good thing Yorkies are so desired and can hopefully find homes faster??? Anyways it can be done as long as you are truly dedicated and 100% responsible and treat your furrbaby just as you would your own child.

In all the Books i've read about The Yorkie Breed it is advised not to bring home a Yorkie Puppy /or have one where there are young children/babies/ under the age of 8 .Mainly due to their frail size. That is what they advise.
IMO, though, and as a preschool teacher of 20 years, + a parent of a child who is special needs , propper supervision goes much further then anything else can However, a min, with an adults back turned often leads to tragedy.
Small children, no matter how often told/and taught the rules are not always going to follow them. It is the Puppy/Dog/Yorkie who is going to be hurt , always. Either the Yorkie is going to get let outside, Dropped, break a bone, it's it's neck, or even die ,from accidental handeling of a young child's playing .
The risk , IMO is far to great to take the chance . YES, every parent will want to beleive that their child would not do such a thing , and has been taught not to ever do THAT> However, A parent does not have eyes in the back of their heads, and a parent is not able to SUpervise Yorkie&toddler 24/7 constantly. My point is, YT'ers have heard numerous tragic, heartbreaking, stories of lost Lives, of Yorkies , from LIttle Children, Who innocently had accidents with their beloved family pets.
This is why it is reccommended Yorkies are for older kids and families. I am not at all trying to start a debate nor trying to be hateful to those who have Yorkies with little children. JUst please be careful.
Cathy

In our family it is the other way around. I have a 14, 13, 9 and 7 yo and the 7yo is constantly being reprimanded by the Yorkie (Kilo) when she tries to take his bone. He resource guards only this bone and only from the 7yo - otherwise he is totally submissive to everything. Still working on that with him. The 7yo tries to treat the Yorkie like a babydoll and wants to carry him everywhere - she never roughhouses with him.